André Chagnon (March 17, 1928 – October 8, 2022) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He was noted for being the founder of telecommunications company Vidéotron.
Early life
Chagnon was born in the Ahuntsic neighbourhood of Montreal on March 17, 1928. His father worked as an electrician and entrepreneur. Chagnon was raised near Gouin Boulevard during the Great Depression, and recounted how his family survived on "a lot of bread and molasses". He attended the from 1945 to 1949.
Career
Chagnon became an electrician like his father and began his work career by laying underground cables for the City of Montreal.
Personal life
Chagnon was married to Lucie Dolan-Chagnon for 65 years until her death in August 2014. Together, they had five children. One of them, Christian, predeceased Chagnon.
Awards and honours
Chagnon was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in October 1992 and invested six months later in April of the following year. He was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2002. One year later, he was invested as an officer of the National Order of Quebec. He was subsequently conferred the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award by Ernst & Young. McGill University (2004), Concordia University (2004), HEC Montréal (2008), He was made a commander of the Order of Montreal in its inaugural class of 2016.